Welcome to my next “How To” series which will explore how I capture and edit a unique, long-exposure image of a well-known structure. As always, my hope is to inspire and create discussion and I look forward to hearing about your thoughts and ideas about these blogs!

Let’s get started.

THE FINAL PRODUCT

This is the shot I wanted. How did I achieve it?

CONCEPT & MY CREATIVE PROCESS

The genesis of this image came about after having taken a variety of shots of the bridge, from different angles, at different times of the day. Although I felt I had achieved some interesting results, none really stood out as THAT unique image.  

 

 

However, looking over the group of shots, I did see aspects in different shots which, when combined into a single shot, would achieve my goal. I decided on a wide-angle night shot with the clock tower in the background and a streetcar moving under the bridge. To top it off, I wanted the shot in black and white, with an emphasis on the street car through a splash of colour.

EQUIPMENT, SET UP & COMPOSITION

To bring my shot to life, I need only my camera, wide-angle lens and tripod.  

To achieve the lighting I want, I felt the ideal time to shoot was around 9:00PM. Arriving at the location, I set up on the south east side of the bridge. Over the course of the next 45 minutes, I take a number of shots with vehicles proceeding both towards and away from the camera. To capture motion I use a slower shutter speed, and as such must adjust my ISO and F number to compensate. During the shooting process, I experiment with a variety of settings.

 

 

CHOOSING THE RIGHT SHOT

After careful examination of the different shots, my choice to work with is:

I chose this because I felt the streetcar stretched through just enough of the shot, and was  perfectly transparent and didn’t obstruct my view of the bridge. As well, the night sky was not too underexposed which made the clock tower visible in the background. I also really like the lights from the bridge and clock

In my next post in this series, I will go through my global edit process for the shot. Until then, I’d love to hear from you!  Did you find this interesting? Useful? Please share your thoughts and what you liked about it!

 

ALSO:  Please visit Jonathon C Photography later this week to see my first post in a “Where To” series focusing on the interior of this pedestrian bridge!

Don’t forget to click like and recommend Jonathon C Photography to your friends or anyone you know who may find it interesting.

Finally, please follow jonathoncphotography.com so you can always be first to hear about all the new content that I post!

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